The Collective Unconscious: Graphic Works of Surrealism from de Chirico to Magritte

Initiated by InArtis, the exhibition aims to show the development of the visual concept of Surrealism – the story of the emergence of the images of Surrealism and their further development as a distinct phenomenon. The graphic works at the exhibition show the viewer not only different works by acknowledged masters that are stylistically different in themselves, but also illustrate the development of Surrealism itself. The etching “The Mannequin” (Manichino) by Giorgio de Chirico reflects one of the main directions of the artist’s work, “proto-Surrealism”, which the artist described as “metaphysical Realism”. Early works by de Chirico contributed significantly to the development of Surrealism as a movement, and the works of artists working in it like Max Ernst and Salvador Dali; Dali considered de Chirico one of his favourite artists. The search for new directions in artistic form is well illustrated by the famous “Victorian collages” of Max Ernst. The centerpiece of the show is a retrospective of graphic works by René Magritte, the famous Belgian artist who developed his own personal and very distinctive style. Magritte’s works are very rarely exhibited in Russia, and the artist created only 20 graphic works in his lifetime, the majority of which will be shown at this exhibition. Surrealism was an influence not only on European artists: the famous Chilean artist Roberto Matta was a member of the movement, and a characteristic work by Matta from his “Argonauts” series will be on show. A highpoint of the movement is to be found in the works of Salvador Dali, who declared at one point in his life, “I am Surrealism”. It was thanks to his work that Surrealism developed from a relatively marginal avant-garde direction into an influential artistic movement. The exhibition includes a series of late works by the artist which represent the flowering of Surrealism. Works shown originate from European and American private collections (Denis Bloch, Pasquale Ianetti, John Bates, etc.) The curators have paid great attention to the design of the exhibition, transforming the grandiose rooms of the former Lenin museum into a Surrealist space through the use of installations and video projections. Right from the entrance visitors will experience the paradoxical fantasy of the early Surrealists, transformed by a contemporary digital consciousness. Press accreditation, Maria Fedorova, +7 926 520 3026, mf@inartis.ru Installment – IIIYM